Thrilled to Death
Life not bringing you as much pleasure as it once did? You may suffer from Anhedonia and not depression! Anhedonia is a condition in which the pleasure system shuts down completely, leaving you unable to enjoy any pleasure at all. With the ways to experience pleasure rising and becoming immediately available, we see a drastic drop in happiness in today’s society. This forces us to realize and investigate that pleasure is in fact NOT the same as Happiness.
The overstimulation of pleasure causes our pleasure threshold to rise, therefore like drugs, requiring more and more pleasure to bring the same sense of satisfaction. Think of eating food for example. You highly enjoy indulging in whatever treat you choose, but somehow it never seems to last. This is because it causes pleasure and not happiness. So what is happiness? Well, it is a feeling of choice actually. While you have all probably heard the saying “money can’t buy happiness” they are right because it buys pleasure. It is a choice on whether to experience happiness. Here’s the catch though…..If you are overstimulating the pleasure system (foods, electronics, cable, phones, video games, adrenaline, social media, sex..) it is harder to enjoy simple things like before the overstimulation. Simply put, you must have a healthy pleasure system in order to enjoy that which is trying to make you happy. Not enjoying family time, the outdoors, good conversation, a walk outside……then you may not be depressed and just suffering from Anhedonia. To be happy, you must be able to enjoy the simple things in life! Many people try to pump as much pleasure into their lives as possible in order to feel fulfilled, and it will leave you feeling blank and empty at the end of the day if you ignore the simple choice that lies within every moment of the day.
Choosing Happiness over Pleasure.
Great news is there is a way to reverse Anhedonia. Thing’s do not have to continue as they are. Reach out through the contact form if you feel as if you are experiencing Anhedonia. Secret addictions are just as hard to break as substance addictions.
Ask yourself……….What in my life is stopping me from enjoying what is made to make me experience joy? (Relationships with self & others)
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Here are a few steps to help you get started in the right direction:
- Getting Enough Sleep
- Practicing Self-Care
- Eating for the Right Reasons
- Being Thankful and Mindful of the Little Things
- Control Sensation Seeking Behaviors
- Laughter
- Daily Appreciation and Gratitude
- Relaxation and Meditation
- Making the Space for the Things that Truly Matter!
I have Dr. Archibald D. Hart to thank for my knowledge. He published a great book on this topic called “Thrilled to Death” which can be purchased Here